Ocado to create almost 2,000 jobs by Christmas

Tuesday 06 October 2015 - Veebs Sabharwal

Ocado is shopping for staff: The online grocer is on a major recruitment drive for 1,798 workers to join before December, as it poises to seal a deal with an overseas grocer.

It is understood that the 15 year-old business is seeking candidates for positions across business support, operations, customer services, service delivery, human resources, development & engineering, technology & planning and supply chain. Ocado is also looking for grocery packers, loaders and, most saliently, delivery van drivers.

There has been speculation that Ocadois to do further business with France’s Carrefour (it already has a good relationship) and has also been associated with US group Safeway as part of its ambitions to license out technology to international supermarkets.

Last month Finance Director Duncan Tatton-Brown said that the etailer was “still targeting signing a deal this year and it is quite imminent”. The company is in “multiple discussions” with parties, he added. However, a spokesman told The Telegraph that today's hiring announcement had nothing to do with an overseas deal, but was to cope with growing demand at home.

Julie Markey, Human Resources Director at Ocado, said: "We have been rapidly expanding our business across the country. Our new recruits, at all levels, will play a vital role in our business and will be the driving force behind our next stage of development so it’s an exciting time to join us.”

She added that Ocado offers "highly competitive" salaries and premium rates for evening and weekend shifts. Employees are also entitled to a 15% staff discount, pension, free shares in the company, life assurance amongst other benefits.